If you just bought a Nexus One, then you might be looking for some free games to tide you over, after all, this high end Android smart phone is not exactly cheap. Thankfully, Google’s decision to go open source has made the Android OS a prime platform for many free apps and games, which you will certainly enjoy.

One of our most recommended app downloads is Light Racer. Tech fans will instantly recognize the game’s homage to the old Disney science fiction classic, Tron. Yes, this is a smart phone version of the light cycle races, with the much expected overhead view of the map. The point of the game is to outmaneuver other racers into hitting the line of ‘light’ that is left in the racer’s wake. It takes a combination of deft hands, fast thinking and some ingenuity to get past the later levels.

For Sudoku fans, there are more several free apps to choose from and each deliver a unique flavor and approach to the highly addictive number puzzle game. Of course, once you solve your first three or four puzzles, the rest slowly become pretty easy to do.

Another interesting little title that we found ourselves losing plenty of hours playing is the Bubble Wrap Game. While it is nowhere near as satisfying as actually having bubble wrap plastic to pop, the game’s authentic sound effects and addictive gameplay will keep you coming back to beat your top score –and yes, they actually found a way to put in a scoring system for popping plastic bubbles.

Rounding up the list is a fan favorite: Classic Snake. Now nothing gets as simple as moving around your pixel snake eating up the random things that pop up on screen. The games’ retro-stylish monochromatic visual style and responsive gameplay will remind you why nothing beats playing classic style snake.

Vodafone UK and three other mobile networks (Virgin Mobile, 3 UK and T-Mobile), have confirmed that the HTC Wildfire Android smart phone is indeed coming to the UK. While no launch date has been set, there are rumours that the device will be available by next month with some very affordable HTC Wildfire deals on offer.

In any case, this latest HTC offering is one for the mass markets as it focuses more on features than the hardware. HTC has recently been releasing one high end device after another and the Wildfire is a welcome break from the pattern. As one might expect from an HTC Android, this device makes use of the HTC Sense user interface and a few nifty additions from the Taiwan based manufacturer.

The Wildfire is basically a social networking smart phone. Thanks to the new Friend Stream function, users will be able to track the latest posts and uploads of friends and followers on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and more. And this is why a good data plan is useful for this smart phone; it will make you want to stay connected online as much as possible.

Even the address book is chock full of new features, each contact’s details can be easily seen and thanks to the threaded conversations, you can instantly keep track of the most recent topics that you have been discussing –it also helps keep track of forgettable details like numbers, dates and more. Also new to the Wildfire is an app sharing widget which will allow you to recommend apps to your contacts that also use HTC Android smart phones.

This handset comes with a 3.2 inch capacitive touch screen, a 5 mega pixel camera, and a 528 MHz processor. Vodafone UK is offering the handset for free under its two year, 15 Pound monthly tariff contract (but it is recommended that buyers get a plan that comes with at least 1GB of internet data allowance).

As you might have already heard, the LG Panther has been recently distributed to a few developers who are working on new apps for the upcoming Microsoft mobile platform. The slider smart phone looks very much like the original demonstration unit used by Microsoft to show off WP7, with the addition of a chrome border around the screen and a slightly altered three button layout on the bottom of the device.

The big bonus on this touch screen smart phone is the slide out QWERTY keyboard. So far, LG is the only manufacturer that has announced a WP7 device that makes use of the type-2 chassis. All of the other devices that will be using this OS from HTC, Samsung and other manufacturers are reported to be using the type-1 chassis –which is the basic touch screen format.

The device got shipped in with a large box though it is believed that the retail version of the Panther will have a different packaging design as the print on the box did not reflect the new WP7 logo that we have come to expect.

Speaking of the new phone, it appears that users will have to install a specialized version of Zune in order to connect the device to a computer. No word yet if the final retail version will also use the same software, though this iTunes-esque phone syncing routine is a bad direction to go –and Microsoft should have known better.

As seen with the developer version of the device and the SDK tools, Silverlight will play a key role in the development of apps for the new OS. For now, developers are advised to focus strongly on apps that would enhance the user experience. Microsoft will be supporting the business experience later on (it is expected that new tools will also be released).

It seems like Google is giving the Nexus One a little head start running the new Android operating system update, version 2.2 Frozen Yogurt or Froyo for short. For those who missed the launch of the Nexus One, this phone is the first Google Branded Android handset and is a collaborative effort between Google and long time Android development supporter and Open Handset Alliance founding member, HTC.

The device packs an impressive 1 GHz Snapdragon CPU, a 5 mega pixel camera and a 3.7 inch AMOLED capacitive touch screen display. In terms of specs, the phone is very high end, and the addition of extra features such as Google’s voice recognition software and better voice quality technology allows for some interesting capabilities such as speech to text and more.

Of course, a phone as great as this is the perfect testing ground for Froyo; this is because the update has native support for Flash and AIR. Flash websites that use plenty of resources like Ecodazoo run fast and smooth –pretty much like it should in a desktop device. The big advantage here is that it supports both Flash and as confirmed, HTML5 in a later update.

Taking a cue from Apple, Google has added in features that Apple will never put in; such as media downloads directly to the phone. One of the biggest issue users have with the iPhone and other Apple devices is that they are very reliant on the iTunes software in order to add and remove media. This dependence on a computer or a laptop makes it hard for some users who would prefer to be able to download directly to their device.

Another major addition to version 2.2 is that the Android not supports tethering. This will allow the use of the Android smart phone as an internet link for laptops and similar devices. Google is now allowing the sale of its phone outside of its own store, meaning that we can now find Nexus One deals through other retailers. Perhaps this will result in an increase in sales? Who knows…

About 5000 people have come together to attend the Google I/O event this 2010. The event opened with a major keynote from Google’s VP of Engineering, Vic Gundotra and the attendees got to see plenty of interesting new things in store for the Android and Chrome operating system.

First off the agenda is the announcement that Google is once again focusing efforts into their Google App Engine for Business. New features in the app engine are centralized administration, better security and later on, hosting SQL services and more. With Microsoft already having an established footing in the business market and Apple slowly catching up, Google also needs to start catering to business professionals as well.

A major tie up with VMware is also opening plenty of new opportunities for Google. They have announced the launch of a new codec called VP8, which might prove to be a good high quality alternative to the H.264 format (though some video editing artists would argue that H.264 has better compression than VP8). Aside from that, the Chrome Web Store has been announced to be opening soon –offering people all new ways to expand their web experience when using Chrome.

Of course, one of the most anticipated things in I/O is the unveiling of the new Android 2.2 Froyo. According to the folks at Google, the new OS will be 2.5x faster than Éclair, will come with a native JIT compiler, has a significantly faster browser thanks to JavaScript improvements that are expected to be up to three times faster, tethering support, Flash and AIR support, and of course, the above mentioned cloud to device API.

As a teaser, Google has also let it be known that the next Android is already in the works, and that version 3.0 “Gingerbread” is coming later this year.

If you think you can escape from World of Warcraft simply by leaving your house, well then you definitely have not heard about the World of Warcraft Remote Auction House. Called WoWRAH for short, this handy app will help you with your in-game bidding by giving you remote access and auction options straight from your mobile phone. No longer will you be required to have access to a PC whenever you want to check on the latest items up for auction at the WoW marketplace.

The system enables you to view any available auctions which characters tied to your account can view in game. And then, you can interact with the auction depending if you are enlisted in their premium (or paid) service or if you are a free user. Free users will be able to view information such as the status of your auctions, your expired auctions, the amount of gold you have and of course, browse the WoW Auction House. You will also be able to receive notifications you want regarding items you bid on (if you are outbid or when you win) and when your auctions are sold or if they happen to expire.

For paid users, a lot more options open up. If you pay the monthly subscription fee (2 GBP/month), you will be able to bid on auctions straight from your mobile phone, you will be able to collect gold (some or the total amount if you wish), cancel your auctions and relist your expired items.

The app is in beta right now and a few lucky testers were chosen to try out the premium version. Web access is possible but regular subscription rates apply.

As of now, this app is only for the iPhone or the iPod Touch. However, Blizzard has given word that they will be offering the app for other platforms as well.

The world is filled with a lot of hate and of course prejudice and this time, the new victim of the witch hunt is none other than search engine giant, Google. For many years, Google has built a search engine and a series of web based free services made to change the internet into something better.

Of course, it is undeniable that Google is also a business company that needs to make a profit. And this is why Google’s Ads came to be. The great thing about Google’s Ads or rather, AdSense, is that they are small, fast loading, unobtrusive and are actually relevant to a user’s interests. Regardless of whether they are clicked or not, the fact of the matter is that Google has found the best formula for online advertising.

Better advertising however, requires a certain degree of data mining and that is a fact that no one can deny. In fact it is a much needed factor in order to make the business model work. However, there is a point when aggressive data mining can get a company into trouble –such as the case with social networking site Facebook and the continued deterioration of its privacy policies.

Google has also taken some hits in the previous months, starting with their botched attempt at creating a social network with the Buzz service (which was abysmally wrong to begin with). Now, the world is now focusing on Google as it has been confirmed that the Street Car managed to log data regarding the SSIDs of unsecured WiFi networks.

While there is significant cause for the demands that Google delete that data (and they have, they even hired a third party in order to ensure the authentic verification of data deletion), there is no reason to burn Google at the stake for the so called “lack of respect for privacy”. The fact of the matter is that Google has been more than willing to accept their mistakes and find solutions to the problems that have been found.

Google has admitted that the Street Car has been able to capture and collect bits and pieces of data regarding WiFi networks that has been detected by the vehicle. While the search engine company attests that their street cars has not been able to gather sufficient data from each network to be considered as significant, there has been a very public call for the need of privacy. Simply put, the Street Car is supposed to capture images and nothing more.

In order to address the situation, Google has opted to have the data that was accidentally collected to be destroyed. In order to carry out the plan properly, the company chose a third party in order to analyze and destroy the data. Alex Stamos, a partner of iSEC Partners Inc, has overseen the process.

Alan Eustace has posted a PDF copy of the letter from Stamos regarding the destruction of the data.

“I have been working with members of Google’s technical staff to organize and securely store the date in question. Before my arrival, Google staff had consolidated the wi-fi packet captures and onto four hard drives. This data was organized into folders corresponding to the nation of origin. Upon my acquisition of the drives from Google staff, I noted that the hard drives had been stored in a secure manner within a secure portion of the facility.”

“I created two new encrypted volumes on separate hard drives, and copied over all of the data with the exception of data that was identified as being captured within the Republic of Ireland. I then witnessed the physical destruction of the original four hard drives.”

“I can attest that all of the data on these drives identified and as captured within the Republic of Ireland was destroyed in accordance with best practices for irreversible data destruction.”

The Microsoft Kin smart phones are pretty impressive at first glance, they have a unique form shape, and the visual elements are aesthetically pleasing and even the main user interface looks pretty stylish.

Under the hood however, many smart phone fans will be heavily disappointed to now that the handset is nothing more than a stripped down version of Windows CE with nothing more than a few colorful boxes. This is because the Kin smart phones are only made for people with constant net access and an unbelievable addiction to using Facebook.

According to the official release, the Kin handsets will not be accessible with external devices, instead, users will have to upload and synchronize mobile phone content with their online backup in the Kin network. Cloud storage is impressive, but when it is forced, there is a certain sense of worry that is involved. Microsoft is not known for their efficiency in being able to run a data server for user profiles and similar content.

The question now is: is the Kin worth it? Right now, definitely not. Despite the big promises regarding the phone’s capabilities and how easy it is to make use of Facebook on the device, all that matters is that the phone brings little more than a single web browser, no apps, Facebook integration and a touch screen pad. It does not even have Flash so the folks who were hoping to at least be able to access Farmville will be disappointed.

Still, Microsoft is heavily backing the Kin. The device is supposedly going to support a new merged version of the Kin system and the Windows Phone 7 mobile platform when it comes out. The spokesperson has also stated that apps and other downloadable features will be included in the phone later when WP7 is finally released to the public.

The fine folks at Gizmodo have done it again. This time, they have managed to grab hold of the real next generation iPhone handset and have not only shown off images for the world to see, but they have also been able to check out some key hardware additions that Apple fans would love to know.

In what is probably the most climactic resolve possible for debunking a rumor, Gizmodo has recently published a letter from Apple requesting that the tech blog return the prototype device in question –permanently cementing the authenticity of the Gizmodo exclusive report.

There are of course, people who are not entirely sold on the whole “Apple wants the phone back” story and believe that there is something else greater at work. But with neither of the parties involved willing to say anything further, this is all just speculation for now.

In any case, Gizmodo’s finds are not only impressive, but also quite reassuring as we can see that Apple has been finally adding in features that users have been waiting for so long.

The top of the list is lead by none other than the bit about the front facing camera. For a long time, Apple users have been longing for video chatting capabilities on their gadgets (some really innovative developer even made an app that turns the iPhone into a camera for your iPad). In any case, the new front facing camera will be added to the latest iPhone which means that Chatroulette users have something to look forward to.

The device itself is much bigger than the previous iPhone, which means that screen space has been expanded further. There is talk that the new display might be HD ready, which is what Apple needs to keep the device future-proof.